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Barrow Island
Project
Barrow Island Baseline Seismic Survey Project
Project type
Heliportable sonic drilling, Environmental compliance drilling, Specialised shothole drilling
Date
April - October 2009
Location
Australia
Client
WesternGeco / Chevron
Highlight
38249.7m Total metres drilled
4700 hours K-max helicopter time
71m Deepest shothole drilled
949 holes drilled through challenging strata including sand, clay and hard limestone formations
Summary
As part of the A$50 billion Gorgon natural gas project, WesternGeco and Webster Drilling were engaged to conduct a 3D seismic drilling programme for the CO₂ re-injection component of the project. The natural gas extracted from the Gorgon field contained very high levels of CO₂, which needed to be subsequently re-injected into the Dupuy Formation below.
As Barrow Island is a Class A nature reserve, the project required careful consideration and planning to adhere to strict environmental constraints. Because of this, vibroseis trucks could not be used to acquire the data required by the client.
Project Requirements
Webster Drilling was engaged to design and construct a fleet of heli-portable Sonic drill rigs capable of drilling shot holes through variable strata, from sand through to hard limestone formations.
The strict requirements associated with operating within a Class A nature reserve meant the site footprint had to be carefully considered for each shot hole, with every component of the operation flown from site to site. These included the two-piece Sonic rigs (insert SD100 link here), compressors, rod baskets, explosive magazines, water/foam cells and a double-skinned refuelling skid where required.
Delivery
During the initial stages of the project, Webster Drilling conducted a small pilot programme to fully understand the formations that would be encountered during the main 3D drilling programme. Following these trials, a review was undertaken with the client and other key stakeholders. It was decided to investigate Sonic drilling technology, which was then an emerging technology, to tackle the challenging strata encountered on Barrow Island.
We quickly got to work, sourcing the latest Sonic heads from Japan and designing and building a prototype two-piece heli-portable machine capable of being moved safely and efficiently by a K-MAX helicopter. Following trial holes with the prototype rig, five additional rigs were built and commissioned, allowing the project to proceed at full capacity.
The custom Sonic rigs proved their value in the difficult strata, and the project was delivered successfully and safely.
